The Salt of the Earth (RJS)

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:00 pm by RJS

The Salt of the Earth (RJS) 2015-03-13T22:00:44-05:00 RJS

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The next section of Philip Yancey’s new book Vanishing Grace poses the question “is it really good news?” … a question that can be answered in many different ways. Does faith matter? Does it affect the way we live in any meaningful way? Even if faith has a positive affect on life, is it true? Is there actually a God out there? How do we know?

There is abundant evidence that faith matters – but this isn’t the common impression in a secular world. Yancey reflects on the difference between impression and (what should be) reality.

Unfortunately, most of my secular friends … view the church not as a change agent that can affect all of society but as a place where like-minded people go to feel better about themselves. That image of church stands in sharp contrast to the vision of Jesus, who said little about how believers should behave when we gather together and much about how we can affect the world around us.

Faith is not simply a private matter, or something we practice once a week at church. Rather, it should have a contagious effect on the broader world. Jesus used these images to illustrate his kingdom: a sprinkle of yeast causing the whole loaf to rise, a pinch of salt preserving a slab of meat, the smallest seed in the garden growing into a great tree in which the birds of the air come to nest. (p. 155)

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells his disciples that they are the salt of the earth – followed by a warning “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” This is followed by another analogy, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Source Salt shaker image)

The followers of Jesus, the church, should have a demonstrable effect, a contagious effect on the broader world. But too often it does not – or the effect comes across as an oppressive one expressed as a culture war against secular opponents and indeed secularism itself. This isn’t a terribly productive approach. Yancey refers to the work of Rodney Stark in The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries and The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion. The church grew by taking the teachings of Jesus (and Paul and the other apostles) to heart.

The Christians organized relief projects for the poor and ransomed their friends from barbarian captors. Some voluntarily freed their own slaves. When plague hit, Christians tended the sick – including their nonbelieving neighbors … When Romans abandoned their unwanted babies to exposure and wild animals, Christians organized platoons of wet nurses to keep them alive for adoption by church families.

In the waning days of the empire, the watching world sat up and paid attention. People flocked to the churches which stood out as caring communities. (p. 155-156)

The same is true today. When the church is viewed as a caring community people flock to the church – true in much of the world today, although not so much in the West. Yancey suggests that there is a natural cycle – when Christians are in power, and the dominant force, too many forsake the gospel … divert from mission and turn society against themselves … which shrinks the church into a remnant that returns to the gospel message and the teachings of Jesus.

Victorian England is another case in point. Although the established church had flaws, at times interested more in power and wealth, John Wesley, the Methodists, and those in sympathy with them did much to change the society. In Victorian England …

Literacy increased and poverty decreased. The rates of illegitimate births and crime plummeted. … What caused the turn around? … Methodists pressed for reforms in the labor movement, housing, prisons, public education, sanitation, and health. Their founder John Wesley taught that the gospel of Christ involved more than saving souls. It should have an impact on all of society, and his followers worked to accomplish just that. (p. 160-161)

I recently read a chapter in Marc Baer’s short book Mere Believers: How Eight Faithful Lives Changed the Course of History (HT JP,) describing the work of Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon (1707-1791), a wealthy Englishwoman, who was converted and became a coworker of George Whitefield, and of the Wesleys among others (photo source). Her story seems appropriate in this context. Selina Hastings used her wealth, position, and patronage to set up personal chapels circumventing the normal procedures and hierarchy of the Church of England to protect and provide a pulpit for ordained Methodists. She preferred to work within the Anglican church, but moved outside of it and bent the rules when it seemed necessary. She ministered to fellow nobles through gatherings in her home, she established a school to train preachers, she established private chapels that “drew mainly workers and the lower middle class to them.” “Many of her chapels had attached schools for poor children.” (p. 12) She crossed class divisions and moved out of her comfort zone. She spent a fortune to make a difference because she felt called to do so. She was not, Baer makes clear, a perfect woman, but a human with human failings – including a temper – but she made a difference.

Baer notes:

The story of Selena Hastings reveals how one individual could make a mark on her times … what’s clear is that men whose education far surpassed hers, ministers included, deferred to her, and not merely because she was wealthy. They sensed her discernment, particularly on doctrinal issues. They experienced her generosity, and they saw her courage in overcoming personal circumstances – that she did not grow weary and lose heart. … Might this mean that godliness trumped gender prejudice in the eighteenth century? If so the history of those times need revision. (p. 19)

We’ll touch on some of the other stories in Baer’s book in the future, but for now … back to Yancey. Yancey anticipates the critics who will point out that many European countries, although decidedly secular today, work admirably well, with a culture of humanitarianism, caring for those in need. But his response? “The gospel transforms culture by permeating it like yeast, and long after the people abandon belief they tend to live by the habits of the soul. Once salted and yeasted, society is difficult to un-salt and un-yeast.” (p. 169)

Christian faith makes a difference – and the difference will be noticed. The church is not a professional Sunday morning service, detached too often from the rest of life. The church is called to be the caring community of the people of God. When the church is viewed as a caring community, people will come, people will meet God, and the world will be changed.

What does it mean to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world?

How should this influence the way we view the church?

If you wish to contact me directly you may do so at rjs4mail[at]att.net.

If interested you can subscribe to a full text feed of my posts at Musings on Science and Theology.

Christianity

Previous Post

December 30, 2014

Good News: Women in Ministry (Lauren Visser)

Next Post

December 30, 2014 God's Kingdom, God's Will (Matthew Miller)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

My child died, but a prophet stretched himself upon him three times and life returned. Who am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The Shunammite woman Ruth The widow of Zarephath Hannah